There Are Living Gems in Namibia

Full-Time Workers Arrive

In 1950, four missionaries trained at the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead arrived in Namibia.  The number of missionaries rose to eight by 1953.  They included Dick and Coralie Waldron, an Australian married couple who are still serving here faithfully.  Many other full-time Kingdom proclaimers from South Africa and abroad have also shared in mining Namibia's spiritual gems.  Other missionaries, as well as graduates of the Ministerial Training School, have been sent to Namibia.

Another factor contributing to spiritual growth in Namibia has been the translating and publishing of Bible literature in major local languages, such as Herero, Kwangali, Kwanyama, Nama/Damara, and Ndonga.  Since 1990, a fine translation office and home for full-time volunteer workers has been operating in the capital, Windhoek.  Karen Deppisch, who has shared with  her husband in the full-time evangelizing work in various parts of Namibia, says: "Many are amazed when we offer them literature in their own language, especially when very few books of any kind are available in that particular language."

Next time: Polishing the Gemstones

Watchtower, 1999